Teaching Methods and Learning Styles

Children are individual and unique, as such they have different styles of learning.

These individual traits are celebrated at Edward Jenner School by the teachers, the children and the curriculum. No one teaching style will work for all children and no one route through a project will maximise all children’s understanding.

Consequently we employ a number of different teaching methods, from traditional through to progressive. These are influenced by a broad range of different educational philosophies that amalgamate into the unique educational philosophy of our school.

Lessons could involve one or more of the following:

Group discussion and enquiry

Group or individual investigation

Recording discoveries individually or feeding back as a group

Individual project work assignments

Conclusion from the Teacher

Children are mostly encouraged to find the answers for themselves with the teacher facilitating, discuss, try and often explain it to others:

We Learn . . .
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss
80% of what we experience
95% of what we teach others.
(William Glasser b.1925)

Making mistakes is an essential component of learning. Therefore we encourage children to try their best and to accept and even value their mistakes as part of the learning process. We also encourage an atmosphere in which it is expected that you will actively try and find out something you do not already know. This applies to teachers, support staff and children. Learning is life-long.